Jørn Larsen (15 December 1926 – 13 June 2004) was a Danish painter and sculptor. He was a member of ''

Grønningen Grønningen is a Danish artists cooperative whose members arrange exhibitions and similar events. Founded in 1915, it is one of the oldest and most important groupings of its kind in Denmark and currently has 54 members. It is named after the str ...

'' from 1970 and received the

Eckersberg Medal The Eckersberg Medal (originally the ''Akademiets Aarsmedaille'' or Annual Academy Medal) is an annual award of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. It is named after Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, known as the father of Danish painting. The ...

in 1978 and the

Thorvaldsen Medal The Thorvaldsen Medal (Danish language, Danish: Thorvaldsens Medalje, Thorvaldsen Medaillen) is awarded annually with few exceptions to a varying number of recipients by the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and is its highest distinction within th ...

in 1989. He represented Denmark at the

Venice Biennale The Venice Biennale ( ; ) is an international cultural exhibition hosted annually in Venice, Italy. There are two main components of the festival, known as the Art Biennale () and the Venice Biennale of Architecture, Architecture Biennale (), ...

in 1993.

Biography

Jørn Larsen was born in

Næstved Næstved () is a town in Næstved Municipality, the municipality of the same name, located in the southern part of the island of Zealand (Denmark), Zealand in Denmark. Næstved has several adult education centers, five Primary education, elemen ...

in 1926. He first apprenticed as a house painter in his home town but in 1948 moved to

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

where he attended drawing classes. He was admitted to the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts () has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark. History The Royal Danish Academy of Portraiture, Sculpture, and Architecture in Cope ...

in 1951 but left after completing just one semester to go to

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. Over the next couple of years he travelled abundantly in Europe, spending his time mainly in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

and

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. In 1955 he made his first non-figurative pictures and had his debut with them at the

Kunstnernes Efterårsudstilling Den Frie Udstilling ('The Free Exhibition') is a Danish artists' association, founded in 1891 by artists in protest against the admission requirements for the Kunsthal Charlottenborg. Modeled on the Salon des Refusés, it is Denmark's oldest asso ...

(autumn exhibition) in Copenhagen. A stay in eastern

Greenland Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest geographically of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. Citizens of Greenlan ...

during 1959 and 1960 inspired him to paint a series of pictures known as the Kutdleq Suite after his return home. From 1962 he developed a black-and-white geometrical style and created both objects and sculptures in various materials, including marble, granite and steel. In 1970 he became a member of the artists group ''Grønningen''.

Works

Jørn Larsen's works include a steel sculpture for Odense University (1974–76) and floor decorations for the

Royal Danish Theatre The Royal Danish Theatre (RDT, Danish: ') is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first s ...

(1992). He also designed the water feature at Bertel Thorvaldsens Plads in Copenhagen. Other decorative works are found at Roskilde Hospital (1988), Udlejre Church (1996), Silkeborg Bad (1994) and Jelling Church (1999).

Awards

* 1977 ''La Mention Speciale du Jury'', 9me Festival International de la Peinture,

Cagnes-sur-Mer Cagnes-sur-Mer (, literally ''Cagnes on Sea''; ) is a French Riviera town near Nice that is in the Alpes-Maritimes department, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in southeastern France. Geography Cagnes-sur-Mer is a town in southeaste ...

, France * 1978

* 1989

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Larsen, Jorn 1926 births 2004 deaths Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni 20th-century Danish painters 21st-century Danish painters 20th-century Danish sculptors Danish male sculptors 21st-century Danish sculptors 21st-century Danish male artists Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal Recipients of the Thorvaldsen Medal People from Næstved Municipality 20th-century Danish male artists Danish male painters